The construction of a large and complex system, such as an aircraft or automobile, generally requires the manufacture of thousands of components and sub-components. For example, a particular aircraft will require the assembly and installation of a number of hydraulic systems to manipulate the aircraft's control surfaces, and the hydraulic systems will require the manufacture of shaped tubing to transport hydraulic fluid across the various components of the control systems.
It should be appreciated that the manufacture of even the simplest of components can require a large number of steps, and that one of the final steps before integration into a larger assemble can involve cleaning. For instance, using the hydraulic tubing example above, it can be desirable to remove organic and inorganic contaminates from the inside of the tubing before installing the tubing into a control system and charging (filling) the control system with hydraulic fluid.
While there are a number of available methods to clean tubing, such as letting the tubing soak for an extended period in a solvent bath, such methods are not economical when only a few pieces of tubing need cleaning at a time, or practical when the tubing needs cleaning in a very short time. Accordingly, new methods and systems for cleaning tubing are desirable.